Fate
by Nik Strata
Summary: Eight years before this story takes place, the Tasuka clan nearly goes extinct. After the attack on her clan, young Himiko lives with the Uchiha clan where she meets Uchiha Sasuke, a young boy about her age. Later on, Himiko finds out that she may not be the only surviving member of her clan. But, who is this guy? And, why does Sakura have such a strong connection to him?
1. 参上！たすかヒミコ！

**参上！たすかヒミコ！**

_ Sasuke looks down to her with a smile on his face. Her pale blue eyes have red markings around them, above her lash line and below her eyes. Her long red hair looks like no one has ever thought to cut it and has streaks of white in it―something he can't miss no matter how hard he tries._

_ She gazes up to him, allowing him to see a deep sadness in her eyes. Her gaze holds regret, anguish, betrayal, and grief._

_Sasuke offers her a hand._ "Are you okay, Kiyone?"

_She's very hesitant to take his hand, but does so to appease him. She nods her head, letting him pull her into his home. Sasuke's parents and brother greet her with warmth in their eyes._

_Mikoto gives her a gentle smile before pulling her away from Sasuke to embrace her. Mikoto squeezes her tightly, yet gently, Kiyone remaining as stiff as a board._

_Fugaku ruffles her hair with a slight chuckle as his wife releases her._ "We've made arrangements for you to stay with Teyaki and his wife, Uruchi, okay?"

_She nods as Sasuke takes her hand again, leading her back outside. The other members of the Uchiha clan mostly ignore them. The ones who were about Itachi's age send them smiles and waves but the adults ignore them, dealing with their own problems._

_He drags her to a _senbei**[1]**_ shop where an older couple is serving various members of the clan and a few shinobi who weren't Uchiha. The couple gives them smiles as Sasuke stops, looking back to the girl. Her head is down, as if she's ashamed of something or scared._

_Sasuke frowns. _"What's wrong, Kiyone?"

_She meets his worried eyes, her pale blue eyes clouded. He sees her already pale skin become even paler as her cheeks flush. His face contorts; worry lacing his voice,_ "Kiyone? What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I don't feel..."_ she manages before falling into his arms._

"Kiyone!"_ calls Sasuke, his eyes widening in worry, getting everyone's attention._

Sasuke shakes his head at the memory, refusing to dwell on it any longer. He looks down to the sleeping girl at the base of a tree, noting that the white in her hair hadn't faded, still reminding him red and white _mizuhiki_****[2]**** used in weddings.

The red markings on her face make her long lashes seem a bit thicker. The markings are like permanent makeup―something she can't get rid of, no matter how hard she tries. Sasuke scanned her with his eyes before sighing through his nose as he squats down in front of her, leaning on the tree for support. "Tasuka," he whispers, lightly shaking her, "wake up."

Kiyone slowly sits up, tugging on her deep gray battle kimono to cover herself more, stretching and looking around. She looks to him, her blue eyes glaring grumpily. Sasuke isn't intimidated. He's used to her glare. He offers her a hand, pulling her up with little effort.

"We need to get going if we want to make it to class on time," he sighs, taking her hand, just as he did when they were younger.

The short walk is silent, neither of them having much to say. Kiyone didn't tend to speak after waking up and Sasuke likes the silence, finding a hint of peace within it. Quickly, they go to their classroom, sitting down, and ignoring the other students. As the classroom begins to fill with students, Kiyone becomes slightly more social.

She chats with a few of Sasuke's fangirls and discusses strategy with Nara Shikamaru―a member of the Nara clan with black, spiky hair pulled into a ponytail―all the while avoiding Hamamoto Chimon and Fujikawa Hiro―two boys in their class that weren't afraid to confess their "undying love" for her. Sasuke smirks again. _I knew it. They did annoy her._

When Iruka―the sensei of the class―arrives, everyone takes their seat with Sasuke's fangirls fighting over who sits by him. Kiyone sneaks into the seat as Iruka calms them down and attempts to take roll. When he gets to the name Uzumaki Naruto, he doesn't get an answer back.

Iruka looks around the class before sighing and leaving the room.

Sasuke looks to Kiyone, picking up a strand of cherry hair. "You should wear your hair down, Kiyone. It'd be pretty," he whispers, attempting not to sound bored.

She flicks him, taking the strand back, pulling her hair into a low ponytail that stops a few centimeters before her hair ends. "Sakura said I should braid it."

Shikamaru looks over to them from his side of the table. "I agree with her," he mumbles sleepily, laying his head down on the desk.

Kiyone turns as Iruka re-enters the room, dragging a tied-up Uzumaki Naruto with him.

"Now listen, Naruto. You failed the last graduation test and the one before that. This is no time for you to be goofing off, you fool."

Naruto turns his head away, not listening.

Iruka gives him a look full of irritation before turning to face the rest of the class, "We will have a re-test on the Transformation Jutsu! Even those who already passed will take it!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes in annoyance as the rest of the class groans. He gets in line behind Kiyone, wondering how she'd do on this re-test. The Tasuka clan, due to the limited amount of chakra they possess, didn't rely on ninjutsu or genjutsu. Their focus was more on taijutsu and they were deadly with it. Her clan was known for prioritizing assassination missions―and they were damn good at it too, using only taijutsu―and a vast multitude of weapons―to take down their targets.

"Haruno Sakura. Here I go... Transform!" With a poof of smoke, Sakura transforms into Iruka, making a perfect replica.

"Okay." Iruka nods, marking her score and waving her away. Sakura was always one of the top scorers, so her success wasn't that much of a surprise.

She undoes the jutsu, a grin on her face. "I did it! Did you see that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ignores her, his eyes honing in on Kiyone. The look on her face is a mixture of apprehension and hysteria.

"Next, Tasuka Kiyone."

Kiyone steps forward, forming her hands into the right sign. "Tasuka Kiyone. Transform!"

Kiyone's replica wasn't exact, missing the headband and kunai holster, but she did well enough to pass. Sasuke looks to her face as she goes back to their table. The jutsu is simple, but it's still enough to make her tired. Sasuke frowns at the sight. _She has great chakra control, so why...?_

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke steps up, does the jutsu, passes with flying colors, and goes back to Kiyone. He glares at Naruto as the blond steps up, transforming into a naked woman. Sasuke instinctively grabs the collar on Kiyone's neck to keep her from harming blond idiot in some way.

Naruto laughs obnoxiously as he changes back. "How was it? I call it the 'Sexy Jutsu!'"

"You fool! Stop making idiotic spells!" Iruka bellows in frustration.

* * *

Kiyone sighs as she walks through Konoha. After school, Sasuke helped her train and then went home. He agreed with her, saying she needs to work on chakra control more often. She slowly makes her way to Ichiraku Ramen, wanting food. Her stomach groans in agreement, as she sits down.

Ayame, the owner's daughter, smiles at her. "Good evening, Kiyone. What would you like?"

Kiyone thinks for a moment, "I'd like _shio_**[3]** ramen with chicken and vegetables, please."

Ayame nods, taking her order. As she hands the bowl to Kiyone, a few other voices draw the redhead's attention. Hamamoto Chimon and Fujikawa Hiro. They approach her, their faces a bright shade of red that she swore rivaled her hair.

"Hey, Kiyone, would you like to go on a date with me?" questions Hamamoto, attempting to charm her as he messes with his harsh pink hair in a nervous manner.

Fujikawa elbows him away, taking his place, staring straight into her eyes with his own crimson ones. "How about going with me, instead?" he wiggles his deep brown urchin-like eyebrows at her.

Kiyone tried her best to give a convincing smile; although she was sure that she failed. "Boys, I have some serious training to do, and no time for dates. I stopped for a quick bite to eat, but I have to go back to training after this. Sorry."

They frown and beginning to beg her for dates.

"Hey, Hiro, maybe we should ask another girl later." Hamamoto suggests, his voice a loud whisper.

"Forget it, Chimon. Kiyone's the one for me, with her red hair, blue eyes, and those odd red marks on her face," Fujikawa sighed dreamily, his gaze making her uncomfortable.

Kiyone sighs, doing her best to ignore them as she finishes her meal in silence, ignores them offering to pay for her bowl. She looks to them for a brief moment before deciding to run from them. Hamamoto doesn't seem to notice, but Fujikawa does. He calls after her, following her.

Kiyone turns, rushing into the crowded streets of Konoha's market before making a sharp turn into an alley, jumping over the far wall. Out of breath, she carefully surveys the area and figures out how far she is from home before deciding she lost Fujikawa.

On the way home, it's a bit too quiet for her liking. Living on the outskirts of Konoha has advantages, but traveling home at night is not one of them. Kiyone stamps at the ground, wishing she could activate her Kekkei Genkai.

_I wonder... Can _he_ do that yet?_ She shakes the thoughts out of her head. _No. He can't. He's dead―just like the rest of them. I'm the only member left of the Tasuka clan._

Kiyone, feeling worn out from her training with Sasuke, ran home. By the time she gets there, she's panting and leaning on the sliding door of her home, out of breath. Stumbling inside, she feels relief as the cool air greets her as she walks through the darkness of the spacious building, reaching her room.

Slipping out of her deep gray battle kimono, and pulling down her thigh-high black socks, she changes into a navy spaghetti-strap tank top and falls onto her bed, managing to crawl under the covers before falling asleep.

* * *

"We are now about to begin the graduation test. When your name is called, proceed to the next classroom. The test is on the Clone Jutsu," Iruka sensei reads aloud almost monotonously.

Kiyone glances to Sakura, who's braiding her hair. Sakura wishes Kiyone luck as the testing starts, going by alphabetical order according to family name. They patiently wait for their turn as students chatter amongst themselves.

Kiyone glances to Sasuke, who's sitting on her other side, calculating something in his head.

Sakura ties her waist-length hair off with a ponytail holder. "I was right! Your hair is so pretty when it's braided, Kaze."

Kiyone shoots her a look, "Why did you just call me 'Wind?'"

Sakura giggles. "You know why."

"Don't bring that up, Sakura. Please."

Sasuke stops calculating, looking over at them. "Don't bring what up?"

"Kiyone has the kanji for wind as a birthmark on her hip," Sakura pats Kiyone's left side as a bright blush forms on the redhead's face.

Kiyone puts her head on the desk, resting on the sleeves of her battle kimono. She doesn't speak as her Iruka sensei calls her name. Slowly, she stands, leaving the room, following him to the other classroom.

After the test, she ties the headband on her neck loosely over the black collar given to her by her older sister, Teruko. Kiyone didn't have many memories of her family, only vaguely remembering her siblings and parents.

She sighs, messing with her bangs as she decides to wait for Sasuke.

Sasuke comes out of the room not too long after she does with a headband on his head. He gives her a cursory nod, hands in his pockets as usual. With the testing done, the sensei allow all of the students outside, letting their parents see their headbands. Sasuke takes her hand, moving to the back of the crowd, hoping no one notices them. He found it difficult to be around so many parents as they praised their children. It reminded him of the family he used to have.

He looks back to Kiyone, who's looking at him with an anxious look in her eyes.

Unlike his own clan, the Tasuka clan hadn't been… murdered. Everyone, including her parents, committed suicide. Sasuke didn't know if Kiyone knew, but if she did, she handled their deaths a lot better than he'd handled his parents'―something he found hard to admit even though he'd accepted their deaths several years ago.

When the ceremony ends, Kiyone and Sasuke train a bit more at the training grounds, this time working strictly on taijutsu. Kiyone beats him effortlessly, earning a grumble from him. She sighs. _I already know all of his moves. Training with him is pointless for me._

Sasuke works with her well into the night, steadily branching out to ninjutsu, where he beats her. He attempts to work with her on chakra control, having a bit more control than she does, but that's something even he doesn't completely understand.

Sasuke puts their training session to a close, telling Kiyone to rest for the night. "We're gonna be in teams tomorrow, Kiyone."

Kiyone smiles, "I know, Sasuke. I hope I end up on your team. We work well together."

Sasuke nods, walking her home. The rest of the walk is once again in a comfortable silence. Kiyone looks to the moon, seeing that it's not quite full. It brings her peace as Sasuke leaves, silently nodding his goodbye.

She glances back to him before going inside, having even less energy than the day before. _Good night, Uchiha Sasuke. Hope all the years of training together weren't for nothing._

* * *

**[1]** _Senbei_ is a Japanese rice cracker

**[2] **_Mizuhiki_ refers to an ancient Japanese art form that uses a special cord created from rice paper, that is tightly wound, starched to give it stiffness, and then colored; red and white _mizuhiki _are often used as ornaments for weddings

**[3]** _Shio_ is a type of ramen in Japan; salt ramen to be exact

**[A/N]** Okay, so here's the _new_ first chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Also, for this first chapter, I've used the _Netflix_ "version" of the subtitles, but from now on, I'll be using the ones from _Narutoget_ or _gogoanime_. Hope you don't mind!

Anyways, I love you guys! Thank you for your patience and support! I promise I won't re-write the story again!


	2. たすかハヤゾ！明かし！

**たすかハヤゾ！明かし！**

Saruta runs a hand through his hair, wiping away his sweat. Panting, he slowly makes his way to a river, stooping down to wash his face. He keeps an eye out for his other teammates, Kotaro and Issun. He nods to himself before placing a hand in the shallow river, feeling the cool water and the mud under his fingertips. A somewhat serene smile grows on his face as he senses his sister's antics.

She was sitting under a tree by a dark-haired teen, discussing something with him, though Saruta didn't know what it was. He could see a genuine happiness in his sister's eyes―something he noticed whenever the two were together.

Saruta knows what his sister is feeling, even if she doesn't. He watches as the boy takes a strand of her cherry hair, messing with it, putting it into a braid. His sister smiles as she undoes the braid, her waist-length hair blowing in the passing breeze.

He chuckles to himself; shifting his hand around, moving on to a certain other girl that he'd been keeping an eye on. He finds her in the village leader's office, turning in paperwork, a smile on her face.

"Saruta!" a voice calls. Kotaro.

"Where are you?" a second one adds. Issun.

"Come out; come out wherever you are, Saruta!" his sensei trills.

He quickly pulls his hand out of the water, using a small stream of it to wash off the mud from his hand. He didn't want anyone to know he wasn't training―choosing to spy on his sister instead. She was in a different country, where he left her roughly eight years ago.

His sensei, Kobayashi Risako, is the first to find him. Her short, light pink hair is mussy from the wind blowing through as she ran to find him, and her matching eyes are full of amusement. "Spying again, huh?"

Saruta lets out a sound of surprise. "How'd you…"

Risako laughs lightly. "Your hand is wet, Saruta. What else would you be doing by a muddy river?"

Saruta groans, his head falling back toward the sky. His sensei, doubling as his adoptive mother, was the only one who knew that he wasn't really from Kusagakure―she was the only member of his team to know where he came from and all of his past. He was incredibly thankful she hadn't told the others.

Saruta dries his hand on his pants as Kotaro and Issun find them. "Hey, Saruta! Where've ya been?" Issun asks with a slight glare in his lavender eyes.

"Issun," Kotaro warns, "don't. He'll only kick your ass again."

Issun only chuckles in response, cracking his knuckles. He glances to Risako, who sighs, and nods, deciding to let them train.

"Before we start," Saruta steps back, into the river, "let me get my feet wet."

"Fine by…" Issun dodges a fist-sized rock aimed at his head. He laughs. "So, you're fighting like that today, huh?"

Saruta responds by throwing a mud ball at Issun, covering his eyes. While he's distracted, Saruta disappears, moving further down the river, bending the water around him to let him move silently away.

He can hear Risako and Kotaro's roaring laughter as he runs, not in the mood to train. He stops a few feet from the village, jumping to the side, heading to a nearby cave, where he can continue to spy on his sister and the members of her village.

His best spying was when he could connect to both of his elements―earth and water―at the same time. He pauses as he gets to the mouth of the damp cave, wondering if she could ever sense him watching her. Wondering if she had a sixth sense.

Saruta shakes his head, sitting down, legs crossed on the slightly damp dirt. He reaches out to the nearest cave wall, putting a tanned hand on it, ignoring the slimy feeling it gives him. He smiles, seeing his sister again. This time, she's with a girl with long pale blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

The girl seems to be playfully teasing her about something, though Saruta doesn't know what it could be. Probably about her relationship with the dark-haired boy from earlier. He sees the other girl, from the village leader's office, walking toward them.

The blonde girl gives the other a glare, which the village office girl returns to her. They start shouting at each other, and it's at this time that Saruta wishes he could actually hear what they were saying. He sees his sister standing in between them, attempting to calm them down. They turn to her in unison, shouting at her briefly, before turning back to each other.

His sister turns away from them, giving up, probably going to her home. Their old home. The one he left years ago. The empty home.

Saruta shakes his head, taking his hand off the slimy wall. "Don't," he whispers to himself. "Don't think about that place. You'll only want to go back, and you know you can't. Get it together, Ha…" he stops himself.

_That's not your name. Not anymore. That name died with them. Just like hers._

Saruta runs a hand through his strawberry hair, a tired sigh escaping his lips. He stands slowly, using the cave wall for what little support he can get. He returns to the village, taking his time getting home.

When he finally reaches the front door of Risako's apartment, he silently and slowly opens it. The lights are off and there are no sandals by the door as he steps inside, flicking on the light switch and slipping his shinobi sandals off his aching feet.

He glances around the quaint apartment. Risako kept it neat for the most part. Everything was in its own place in every part of the house… except for his room. The floor is clean, but his desks have with too many things that need put away.

Slowly, Saruta makes his way to his room, dreading the cleaning he has to do. Risako didn't often enter his room, but when she did, she expected it to be clean and neat; just like the rest of their apartment. He enters the room, wishing he could activate his clan's Kekkei Genkai so he could sense how many things were under his bed or around the room.

He groans to himself, checking under the bed, not seeing anything other than dirt. He stands, looking at his desk next, seeing so many papers covering it that they should've fallen over. He drags his feet, going through the pages, seeing what is important and what isn't, before crumpling it up, and tossing it into the empty trashcan in the corner of his room.

Saruta finishes cleaning off his desk, putting the important pieces of paper away in a cabinet off to the side of his desk. With a sigh, he leaves his room, going to the kitchen for a bottle of water. The wooden floors softly creak under his weight as he opens the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water.

He hears the front door open, a familiar feminine voice following it, "I'm home!"

Risako.

Saruta opens his bottle. "Welcome back!" he yells, closing the fridge.

Risako walks into the room as he takes in a large gulp of water. "What was she doing that was so interesting this time?"

Saruta takes another sip of water, grabbing a golden apple from the fruit basket on the white, shiny counter. "Well, she and that dark-haired guy were talking about something as he braided her hair. After that, I saw her with two other girls, who looked like they were arguing about something." He pauses, biting into the apple. "I wonder what they were arguing about."

Risako chuckles. "I don't know for sure, but I'd say it was a boy. Maybe they like the one your sister was with."

Saruta munches on his apple thoughtfully, nodding along. "Yeah, maybe."

Risako grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, wiping the excess water in Saruta's hair, earning a scowl from him as he moves his hand in the direction of the sink, willing the water into it.

"Why do you always do that?" he grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

She laughs again, a wide, slightly cat-like grin on her tanned skin, "Because I'm your mother, and I can, and you can't stop me."

Saruta sighs through his nose, taking another bite of his apple. "I'll be in my room."

He walks back into his room, shutting the door behind him. He can hear Risako making dinner in the kitchen and wonders what it'll be this time. Lying down on his bed, he looks to his nightstand, seeing the picture of his teammates with his sensei/mother.

Issun was glaring at the camera, Kotaro's expression was neutral, and Risako was grinning, her eyes closed, as she wrapped all of them in a hug. Saruta studies his own expression, seeing a certain joy in his eyes as he glances up to his sensei. They'd changed a lot within that year. He and Issun still didn't quite get along, but when they went on missions, their teamwork was almost flawless―according to Risako, at least.

Saruta studies the picture further. Issun's blonde hair was in a ponytail, his bangs kept out of his eyes with the use of his forehead protector. Kotaro's gray eyes were dull and nearly covered by his light turquoise hair, which reached the base of his neck. Saruta, unlike the rest of his teammates, had short red hair that spiked up, in a gravity-defying style.

Risako's hair was a bit longer in the picture, reaching just past her shoulders, as opposed to her now chin-length style. It was naturally what she still likes to call "fluffy," but it wasn't as bad in the photo. Saruta studies her face. Risako looked young―in her early to mid-twenties.

Saruta nods to himself, rolling onto his back. _She still doesn't look very old. I wonder what people think when they hear I'm her son._

A knock on his door forces him up. Risako pokes her head into the room, glancing around. "Good job keeping it clean, _Saru_**[4]**. I'm proud of you." She smiles at him, "Dinner's ready, by the way."

Saruta steps to the door as she moves out of his way. "Thanks, mom."

* * *

**[4]** _Saru_ means "Monkey;" Risako's nickname for Saruta, who is named after the Shinto god of earth

**[A/N]** Okay! Here's the second chapter! I'd like to apologize for the long wait that I forced you guys to endure. Anyways, how many of you guys can tell if I conjugated the chapter title right? When I put it into several translators, it turned out right, but I want a _person_ to tell me if I'm right or wrong. It would mean the world to me!

Feel free to review, favorite, and all that other stuff... If you want to, that is. I obviously can't force you to do anything against your will.

I love you guys! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon... I say that like I know what I want to do with chapter three... Anyways, have a nice week! See you soon! :)


	3. ヒサメ班

**ヒサメ班**

The classroom door slams open, revealing Sakura and Ino trying to squeeze their lithe frames past, each attempting to get through the door before the other. Kiyone sighs, kicking them through. She didn't care about their stupid competition, but they were blocking her way into the classroom.

"Goal!" they exclaim, not realizing they passed at the same time.

Kiyone glances around the room, seeing Sasuke… at the same table as Naruto. She frowns. _Why are they anywhere near each other? Everyone knows that they can't stand each other._

"Kiyone!" two male voices call out.

Kiyone freezes. _Gods please don't put me on a team with _those_ two! Please!_ She pretends she doesn't hear them, going to sit beside Sasuke. Sakura runs over, knocking Naruto out of the way as he greets her.

"G-Good morning, Sasuke." Sakura gives Sasuke an almost too wide smile, fidgeting with her hands in front of her out of nerves as she greets Kiyone with a cursory smile.

Sasuke looks to Kiyone for a brief moment with a shrug before turning his attention to Sakura, hands clasped in front of him on the desk.

"Mind if I sit with you two?" Sakura asks.

Yamanaka Ino―a girl with long, light blonde hair pulled into a ponytail―steps toward them, gripping Sakura's arm. "Hey! I'm going to sit next to him!"

"First come, first served!" Sakura retorts with a scowl.

"I came into the classroom _before_ you!"

Other girls join in, putting in their two cents, all of them arguing over who should get to sit with Sasuke.

"Kiyone!" Hamamoto and Fujikawa yell, appearing on the other side of the desk as Sasuke's fangirls, "Forget that loser, Sasuke, and come sit with us!"

Kiyone sighs under her breath as the room filled with loud voices, all of them in one huge argument. "How annoying," Sasuke murmurs. Kiyone nods in agreement.

She groans in annoyance as Naruto squats in front of Sasuke, a glare on his face. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto ignores her as Sasuke glares back at him.

"Naruto! Stop staring at Sasuke!" Sakura balls her hand into a fist, shaking it at him in anger, the rest of the fangirls agreeing with her.

Kiyone watches in intrigue as Naruto and Sasuke move closer to each other, the glares on their faces getting darker. They continue to glare at each other until Naruto wobbles, falling toward Sasuke. Kiyone is quick to react, forcing her hand between them before their lips touch, letting them fall onto it.

Shocked, the boys look to her as she gives them a smile. "Close, wasn't it boys?" she giggles.

Sasuke's fangirls, as well as the surrounding male populace, murmur words under their breath, no doubt about how her quick reflexes are. Iruka sensei walks into the room, forcing everyone to take a seat. He gives a speech about how they're all "official ninja," first level ninja, as he says, called, "genin;" and about how much harder their lives are going to be before starting to announce who is going to be on what team.

"Now, the seventh group: Uzumaki Naruto… Haruno Sakura… and Uchiha Sasuke."

Kiyone murmurs under her breath, "I wish you luck, Sasuke. With Naruto in your group, you may need it."

"Eighth group: Hyūga Hinata… Inuzuka Kiba… Aburame Shino." Iruka sensei continues on, "Tenth group: Yamanaka Ino… Nara Shikamaru… Akimichi Chōji."

"Twelfth group: Yokota Kiragi… Hirayama Kikuno… Tasuka Kiyone."

At hearing her name, Kiyone looks around for her teammates. She sees Kiragi's unruly orange hair, and next to him is her other teammate, Kikuno. She didn't know much about either of them other than they were quiet and didn't seem to have much to say. As far as she knew, Kiragi was one of the―thankfully many―boys in her class that didn't have a crush on her, and Kikuno didn't appear to like Sasuke in the same way that his fangirls did.

Naruto stands up, yelling in protest. "Iruka sensei!" he points to Sasuke, who was separated from him by Kiyone, "Why is a top-student like me in a group with this guy?!"

"Sasuke graduated with the highest scores and you, Naruto, had the worst scores." Iruka sensei puts his hands on his hips. "This happens because we want to evenly divide abilities between the groups."

Sasuke speaks up, hands clenched together in front of his mouth. "Don't pull my leg, blockhead."

"What did you say?!"

"You wanna fight, blockhead?" Sasuke isn't looking at Naruto, distracted by the white streaks in Kiyone's hair that he can see out of the corner of his eye.

"Blockhead? Why you…"

Kiyone sighs, standing between them firmly. "Stop it, you two. Naruto, sit down. Sasuke, shut up."

"Sorry, Kiyone…" Naruto flinches a little as her stern gaze settles on him.. He sits back down, turning back to Iruka sensei, who dismisses them.

Kiyone waits until Iruka sensei releases them before making her way over to the duo. Kikuno is the first to notice her, sending her a small smile and a wave. Kiragi smiles brightly at her. "Who do you think our sensei is gonna be?" he asks, his voice as smooth as silk, wrapping an arm around each of them, making Kiyone feel a bit uncomfortable.

Kiyone shrugs, removing his arm.

"I heard it's someone called 'Nomura Hisame.' Either of you know who that is?" Kikuno asks, her voice naturally quiet as she messes with a strand of soft brown hair before pulling it into a ponytail on the side of her head.

Kikuno's eyes were unique in Kiyone's opinion. Forever half-open, they were a deep plum color and went well with her almost mint-green jacket and lavender undershirt.

Kiragi's eyes also stood out to her. They reminded her of burning embers with his pupils acting like the night sky. They made his navy hoodie and black pants seem even darker than they already were.

Kiyone moves to follow them as they leave the room for lunch before seeing Iruka sensei out of the corner of her eye. "Iruka sensei!" she calls, causing him to turn to her.

"Yes, Kiyone?"

"I was wondering why I was put on the same team as Kikuno and Kiragi. It's not that I'm asking you change it; I'm just wondering. We have nothing in common, so why put us together?"

Iruka chuckles. "Well, Kiyone, you have more in common than you realize. You weren't put on a team with them so you could do 'regular' genin-level missions, that's for sure."

Kiyone gives him a confused look. "What do you…"

"You'll see what I mean later. Now, go get ready to meet your sensei."

Kiyone sighs as he walks away, but does what he says anyway, finding her teammates and sitting down to eat with them.

* * *

Kiyone stares at the ceiling, waiting for their new sensei to show up. _I wonder… What did Iruka sensei mean when he said that we're not gonna be a normal genin team? How are we gonna be any different from the others when we've all had the same amount of training and went through the same exercises?_

"Kiyone, are you okay?" Kiragi asks, waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinks, focusing on him for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something, that's all."

"What're you thinking about?" Kikuno questions from her place across the table from her.

Kiyone explains what Iruka sensei told her earlier in the best way she can, telling them everything he'd said and surprising herself in the process. Her memory was a bit below average when compared to her classmates so it shocked her to be able to recall the exact conversation.

"Dammit, Iruka sensei," Kiragi huffs, clenching a fist. "I thought you were supposed to help us figure things out, not just sit there and confuse us more!"

"Hang on," says Kikuno, realizing something, "He said the abilities were divided amongst the team members, which means we each must specialize in something, right? Like me―I specialize in genjutsu. What about you two?"

"Taijutsu and ninja weapons," Kiyone says. "My entire clan did, in fact."

"I'm not too sure what I specialize in, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was ninjutsu. But, I don't get it, Kikuno, what does this have to do with―?"

Kikuno grins. "We balance each other out, guys! Like, I'm not too great at ninjutsu, but I'm average at taijutsu and great when it comes to genjutsu. Kiyone's more of a physical fighter than anything else, meaning she probably couldn't do nearly as good as you when it comes to ninjutsu, but she could beat us easily if we only used taijutsu. This is amazing!"

A new, deeper voice enters the conversation, chuckling lowly. "Actually, that's not the reason at all. Good guess though, Hirayama Kikuno."

* * *

**[A/N]** Hey guys! So, this is the third chapter, and I hope you liked it! Note: I love you guys! :)

To the lovely guest who said: _"__No one gives a fuck about your pathetic si oc. Kill yourself, delulu virgin."_

First off, thank you for not calling me whore. I actually take pride in the fact that I am a virgin.

Second, delulu? As in delusional? To be delusional is to have false or unrealistic beliefs or opinions; to maintain fixed false beliefs even when confronted with facts, usually as a result of mental illness. So, how am I delusional? Is my being a virgin making me delusional by default? If so, that doesn't make any sense.

Oh, and, if no one gave a fuck about my characters, then, please, explain to me how I have people who tell me they like the things I write and the characters I create. Also, you should never tell someone to kill themselves, no matter how pissed off you happen to be at the world. They just might do it, and then, you could get arrest for assisted suicide. I don't know about you, but that would certainly suck balls for me.


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